Upon returning to the Hilton Hotel, Hao Jianguo, preparing to rest in his room, received astonishing news from the front desk: "What, all rooms are occupied? I don't even have a room!"
Hao Jianguo's injuries were severe enough to warrant hospitalization. However, he realized he had no relatives left in China, and relying on the delegation for care was out of the question. Rather than lying alone in a hospital bed, he preferred to recuperate in a five-star hotel. After all, his injuries, aside from the fractured metacarpal in his palm, were superficial. He could endure the minor injuries without needing hospital treatment.
"Mr. Hao, we are very sorry. We had very few rooms available today, and your group booked 32 rooms. Only a few were left. But by the time you left, those rooms were also booked. Why don't you try the hotel next door? They should still have rooms!" the receptionist said with a smile.
Helpless, Hao Jianguo left the Hilton Hotel, his steps faltering. Although he could have shared rooms with others, as most of the rooms booked were double occupancy, and the presidential suite had individual rooms, he was unwilling to meet them after what had happened. So, he went to another five-star hotel next door, booked a presidential suite, and wept uncontrollably into the silk-filled quilt. Hao Jianguo felt an unbearable pain and suffering that he wouldn't wish on anyone for a lifetime.
"Hahaha, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Huang He, and Jiangnan Group, you are all to blame! I will make sure you never forget the humiliation you inflicted upon me today!" Hao Jianguo clenched his fists and swore to the heavens.
To vent his grievances, Hao Jianguo called the elder and reported the day's events, detailing his brutal experience of being beaten at Jiangnan Group. He then tentatively asked, "Boss, since they treated me like this, why don't we use this as an opportunity? Let me lead the team back to China. Jiangnan Group and Huang He will feel our anger, and we can stall for months before resuming negotiations. This should completely suppress Jiangnan Group's arrogance!"
Hao Jianguo expected that even if his suggestion wasn't approved, he would at least receive some words of comfort. However, the elder responded without hesitation, "I don't have months to wait for them. Apple's PT is about to go on public sale, and we must secure Jiangnan Group's contract manufacturing!"
"But you are right, getting beaten up is a good thing, it gives us leverage and advantage in negotiations. Tomorrow, you will go with all your injuries and forcefully demand negotiations, making them comply without delay. Don't wait for three days."
"Waiting three days would be a sign of weakness and would only embolden them. We must force them to negotiate tomorrow to gain an advantage. Your beating will then be worth it!" the elder said sternly, not uttering a single word of concern for Hao Jianguo.
"Sir!" Hao Jianguo suppressed his immense grievances and said, "Jiangnan Group dares to beat me, and they did so with impunity at their headquarters. This shows they don't care about my injuries at all. Even if I go to them with these wounds to force them, they probably won't listen. It would be better for us to leave immediately, at least showing Gao Sheng's anger at my treatment!"
"Why are you always thinking about leaving? Your delegation's flight alone takes a week for a round trip. I don't have a week to waste with you."
"Alright, you say Jiangnan Group doesn't care about your injuries, but haven't you noticed that apart from the fractured metacarpal in your palm, all your other injuries are minor and superficial? They are just flesh wounds."
"What does this signify?"
"This signifies that Jiangnan Group dares not truly injure you; they still have some scruples about you. At most, they would beat you up to vent their anger!"
"And doesn't this further indicate that if they had killed you on the spot, they would have been afraid? They wouldn't dare to actually kill you! But then again, if you were really killed by someone from Jiangnan Group, everything would be much simpler!"
"Ah..." Hao Jianguo was stunned. The elder's words made it seem as if he wished Hao Jianguo had been killed by Jiangnan Group.
Then, in the next second, he heard the elder continue, "Since they don't dare to kill, you must have the spirit of sacrifice. So, work hard and sacrifice yourself, consider it your contribution to the company. The company will not forget your merits!"
"What?" Hao Jianguo was dumbfounded. Before he could even process the elder's meaning, the call was abruptly disconnected. A sense of foreboding naturally arose in Hao Jianguo's heart.
"No, I must leave this place!" Hao Jianguo pondered for a long time. Feeling that staying here posed no significant danger, he packed his belongings and, dragging his injured body, prepared to leave.
Then, he heard a knock on the door, followed by Huang Mao's familiar English voice asking him to open the door.
Hao Jianguo hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Huang Mao entered with five or six people, all members of the delegation.
Hao Jianguo initially thought they were there to discuss how to pressure the other party into negotiations tomorrow. To his surprise, after entering the room, they each pulled out large wrenches from their clothes.
"What do you want? Why are you all holding wrenches?" Hao Jianguo asked in panic, seeing the steel wrenches, each about the size of a fist.
"Manager, I apologize. I wanted to buy baseball bats, as they are more comfortable to use. However, these Chinese people seem not to like baseball. I went to two sports stores but couldn't find any baseball bats. Fortunately, we found these at a hardware store, and they are quite handy. So, please cooperate."
"What do you want to do?" Hao Jianguo asked fearfully.
"Nothing much. We just believe that the diagnosis from the Chinese hospital was incorrect. You didn't just suffer minor injuries, but very serious internal injuries that weren't apparent externally and didn't manifest at first. After you took a shower in the hotel tonight, all these injuries have erupted!" Huang Mao explained.
"What are you saying? What do you want to do? You can't do this! This is illegal, and Chinese law will not let you get away with it!" Hao Jianguo shrieked. However, two tall and burly foreigners had already firmly restrained him.
While some of them wrapped Hao Jianguo in a quilt, the rest raised their large wrenches, aimed, and ferociously struck Hao Jianguo's body. Hao Jianguo wailed in pain, his voice almost hoarse.
The beating lasted for about half an hour. After Hao Jianguo was left with only half a breath, Huang Mao ordered them to stop and then removed the quilt.
Indeed, Hao Jianguo had no visible external injuries, appearing no different than before the beating. However, he now had subcutaneous bleeding in multiple places, and his internal organs had also begun to bleed. If he had been left for another night, he would have surely died.
"Why are you still standing around? Hurry up and take Manager Hao to the hospital! These damned Jiangnan Group people were too ruthless!" Huang Mao shouted. The foreigners quickly re-wrapped Hao Jianguo in a quilt, dialed 120, and then carried Hao Jianguo to the hospital entrance in pairs.
As they were leaving, Huang Mao stood by Hao Jianguo's side and said to him, who still had some consciousness, "Manager Hao, don't resent us. This was ordered by headquarters, and we are not in control of ourselves. The boss also asked me to tell you that the company will not forget your contributions and sacrifices to the company. Cooperate with the company to play this scene well, resolve the issue with Jiangnan Group, and the company will guarantee you a peaceful life in the United States. It will also ensure your US citizenship, making you a true American. Moreover, you will continue to work at Gao Sheng Group."
"If you do not cooperate this time, then consider everything I just said as null and void. You should think carefully about what to do!"
After listening to Huang Mao's words, what else could Hao Jianguo say? His throat was already hoarse.
In fact, even if Hao Jianguo's throat could still speak, he wouldn't have intended to. Huang Mao's words were the honest truth. Hao Jianguo had now completely offended Jiangnan Group and, by extension, China. He knew he could never return.
Therefore, he had no choice but to press on, no matter how badly Gao Sheng had beaten him. He could only cooperate with Gao Sheng's performance. He could only hope that Gao Sheng would fulfill its promise and arrange a bright future for him upon his return to the United States. This beating, he hoped, would be worth it.
That night, Hao Jianguo ended up spending his time in the hospital, specifically in the ICU. He remained there for three days before being declared out of danger, though he still required treatment in the ICU.
Meanwhile, Huang Mao, armed with Hao Jianguo's medical report, proactively approached Jiangnan Group. He very directly stated that if Gao Sheng Group's representative were to die in China, and specifically from a beating by Jiangnan Group, then the consequences for all of Jiangnan Group's businesses in the United States would be dire.
Therefore, even though Jiangnan Group knew that Hao Jianguo had been beaten by his own people from Gao Sheng, they were powerless. Ultimately, Leng Zhiruo herself had to come forward and express her willingness to begin negotiations immediately.